A Minute, Please.

Cracks of orange, ash born with the withering of corks as flames buried and burned the breath of air– bringing me an utterly weak sense of warm comfort.

A contrast of dull, whitey, and sorrowful winter that brings me numbness on my already weak red fingertips.

With me a small stump I sat, In front I see nothing but more steps for my legs to carry me on.

I worry not, as comforting as I was now– that I won’t be as warm on my journey as I am warmed now.

Cold sweat forms through my thick clothes, uncomfortably warm.

“..Hahh.”

White mist forms as I breathe out. Moving closer to the small bonfire made with my weak but effortful and lucky self.

My face, sweaty, and stay this way for the same amount of time as a candle burns.

‘...I hope it won’t be so windy when I move out.’

I rustled through my belongings, bringing out a rolled out thick paper and unfolded it out on the deep snow and put out small rocks on the corners, immediately buried slowly in the wicked field.

Crack.

Immersed in the map and compass, the last cracks of the dying corks put me out of my dim focus and I feel the final strength of the small feeble flame giving me warmth through my thick clothes.

Puffing out small mists; I stood up and unsheathed my knife to mark the stump.

Then, I knocked my foot on the snow, grabbing my map and compass, trudging against the deep sleet mixed with snow.

At times I rested, but the snow was all to eat; My stomach fights against me, expecting a lostling to eat in a lost place.

Towards and forwards, my eyes were led on by my feet to a monotonous

struggling and knocking off the snow to trudge— walking and sometimes tripping, burying my white cold blushing face.

But I stand up, and see the view ahead.

——‘Clasp your hands, like this. Tightly holding together, at times when you feel overwhelmed.

It’s what I do, but I just mimicked my foster mother; It feels simple, but really special? It has helped me many times.’

—Snow mist formed through my breath, and the wind’s breath fought back to my face.

Tightly, my red fingertips held each other. It gave me not warmth, but weak hope, on the ridge where not even one would live. Still, I trudge, in hopes to find warmth.

A small slope leaping downwards lay ahead, a narrow path testing my will.

I stopped, and to my side I saw war from distant horizons—far, far away from

where I stood. Though far, in my eyes it felt as if it was not so.

Maybe the wicked snow hallucinates me, but I feel as though the war is onto

me— feeling through the clashes of what shouldn’t be.

‘The blood they draw isn’t mine, so meddle not.’

Those fighting would snort to my thoughts, hearing the ‘excuse’ of a person wanting to live.

But I struggle here more than they would clash with each other.

The cold breathes to my eyes, and strains my sight. Though alone and the path

narrow, a hope fights through me.

My feet sinks deeper into the snow with each step, the frigid air biting at my

cheeks and ears.

The wind howled through the narrow pass, carrying with it the distant echoes of conflict that seemed to resonate within my very bones.

It was a strange sound, almost like a mournful cry, as if the mountains themselves were weeping for those lost to the unrelenting cold.

Each step brought my foot deep in snow, breaths of laborious effort.

My fears clutch on to me, a plague likewise with the cold breathing on my weak efforts.

The ridge, unyielding, my steps trusted not the snow but there’s no stopping, I had to move.

To stop would be to succumb to the cold, to let it seep into my bones and steal away whatever warmth remained within me.

The warmth that that feeble fire gave me is all the strength that burns through me.

Then, reaching out to my next step, I slide my feet from the sleet to the side,

stumbling my feet to fall.

An urgency fell to me as snow chokes my throat and my breath matches to

the beat of my urgency.

My hands are raw and gloveless; it was numb to cold.

I immediately grabbed the edge of the sleet with a hand, swinging away the snow.

With a struggling effort, cracks formed on the sleet.

Instantly, the thought of falling and being buried in the snow, trapped and unable to breathe seeps like a sensation of flames burning inside me.

My nerves feel as though snow flows through and my muscles strain by

grabbing the edge.

The sleet cracked and triggered my motivation to put myself back up.

“Hup!”

My body aches, but I’ve gone back up, thankfully.

Throughout and through, the snow embraces me like a mattress— embracing

me with a warmth that numbs me.

Facing the misty sky, I force myself back on my feet but stumble again face-forward.

However, I manage to support myself with my arms.

Properly, I stand up then dust myself off the snow. As if nothing happened, I

continue forward.

Hoping to find warmth.

I clasp my hands together.

Towards each footfall I take, the cold breeze seeps slower in the air.

Breathing more free than before, the narrow ridge leads me to wide and flat snow plains, hills in plain sight with snow-covered spruce living through the cold.

The snow takes me deeper than ever, reaching to my thigh and finding its way

through my clothes.

In front, a dark and starry atmosphere lay, no longer the misty, foggy and dull

winter.

Before me, a blinding light sets behind the mountain my feet have passed.

Winds howled, however, were much weaker as a deadly silence envelops the entire field.

Walking towards the spruce, an ache punches me in the gut as my hunger

growls.

Sheathing my knife, I sliced the dark spruce and crunched it with my trusty teeth.

There’s nothing else to eat.

Sitting down beside the bushy spruce, a short breath escapes me as it forms a

mist.

Then, the snow rustled a sound.

—Tk.

No longer than a second later, I bloodied my fingertips and climbed up the

tree, prickling my uncovered parts with small needles. Near, a white fur creature knocks off the snow on its head and reveals itself.

Two of them, only wolves.

My sudden heart calms down and I come down from the tree, making loud sounds as much as I can to be noticed.

Two pairs of eyes with a tint of red come to my direction, their mouths a messy lunch, filled with blood.

Seemingly unsatisfied.

—Click.

‘Come over here.’

I unsheathe my weapon.

..And rush they did as I quickly took off my top clothing, throwing it to the nearest attacker.

My clothes buried into the snow along with the wolf, creating a short one on one on the next rusher.

It’s cold, but I can feel their bloodlust in my nerves.

They’re stupid, considering what happened to the partner. Fast and dangerous, however.

I don’t have much time, and the field is a crazy advantage for them.

The snow wolf jumps straight towards my face and out of instinct, twisting my body to the side, my feet a bit stuck in the snow.

—Thud.

On my peripheral, I saw the wolf hit the bark of the tree, hitting its head.

Gripping my weapon, I immediately went for the kill.

Or so I thought.

Rustle.

Hearing a sound of something moving in the snow.

Suddenly, fangs with dirty hygiene and blood went straight to my shoulder.

Twisting my knife backwards, I stabbed my weapon at the disgusting mouth, hoping it will damage the bastard, scar it for life.

Then, I rushed in towards the snow wolf that hit the tree earlier, and kicked it towards the bark.

—Thud.

And again, as hard as I can knock it into the bark.

Whimper—

Not letting the snow wolf a chance to breathe, my red hands gripped and

knocked the snow wolf on to the tree.

Again, not letting it fall back to the deep snow, where its true territory lays—

Punching repeatedly.

“Ghrghk!” A choking resounds beside me, coming from the other snow wolf.

It walks, as if trying to come to me. But I see the hilt of my knife and the blade itself being swallowed by the wolf through it’s back of the neck.

It tries to breathe and step up, but each breath only takes its life from it.

As the wind breezes my body, my eyes strain as snowflakes intrude past my

eyelids.

Punching back the snow wolf on the tree, taking away its life.

Whimper.

—Ssshh.

The snow wolf falls back into the snow, making its own grave.

Gazing at the other struggling, choking, and miserable snow wolf.

Quickly, I grabbed the hilt from its mouth and pulled back my bloodied knife.

Blood gushes out from both the mouth and neck yet it rushes to my waist; it’s final attempt to kill.

“…”

Near, I can hear rough movements of snow being knocked off. It was where I

off-tracked a snow wolf and I realised.  ‘Three of them.’

“Haa..”

I approach with weak effort as the sand holds me back, then I reach the pitiful entrapped snow wolf.

With my knife, it’s blade went through my clothes, stabbing the wild creature

as it struggled through it.

—Wooooh!!

High-pitched screams resounded on the field as I quickly stabbed more until no more movements were made.

My clothes are now stained with blood.

The cold brushes up my shoulders, hurrying me to wear up.

Freezing blood sticks up to my skin as I grab the corpse of the wild dog, placing it down beside the spruce.

Beheading the three, I stuck up a wolf to the tree then grabbed a pocket knife

in my pocket and started skinning off the fur.

My nose, blushing and numbing, as it smelled no foul odor.

—Squelch.

—————————

Light rays from the east shined down on the surface of the snow. Sweat forms

throughout my body except for my deeply snow covered legs, though it now only reached up to my calf.

I look towards my surroundings, possibly trying to see any signs of people.

Unsurprisingly, snow was all there was.

Picking up a rolled thick paper and compass from my back, opening it wide to see some small parts. Placing my gaze towards the front, then to the map.

“The snow should end here.. Alright.”

Rolling up the map and knocking my feet over, I embarked.

My footprints last a miniscule amount of time as snow begins to stack up.

Moving forward until the snow only reached up to my ankles, I could view the

green plains ahead the forest.

“..Finally!”

Snot drools down my clogged nose whilst I rush toward the small barrier-like forest,

almost tripping myself with bumps of stone hidden deep within the snow.

Tiny blades of snowy greens sought after my ankles, and the mud almost made me slip. Stepping foot on the small hill, little droplets of water fall on my face like a cold cry.

Then, I slid down the field, dirtying my back with mud without a worry.

Rolling forwards, soil and grass gets on my face. The remaining snow heats up whilst watering the grass behind me as I run.

Embracing me was the sun, for it’s blinding brings blessing to me. Tired, I

sought to keep an eye on civilization. For now, the grass embraces me.

Though ticklish, it was absolutely much more comfortable than the deep snow.

Using my fur clothes as a pillow, I rest myself with my head on a rock.

——‘She was really warm to me.

Warmth is a great thing to express with.

As I am to you, I will also be to others.’——